Three Brothers: Bounty Hunter
by TouGod
Summary: A tale of three brothers, seperated by fate and choices made. See how their stories unfold. This story follows the life of the brother that chose the path of the Hunter.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything related to Star Wars. Just playing in George Lucas' sandbox. This is something that I've been working on for one of my characters. My three main characters are all Zabraks, and they all ended up looking similar, so I made it so they are brothers. I just started writing a little blurb for one of my character's backstory, and it kinda mutated into an actual story. If I like how this turns out, I'll continue on to the other brothers. But this is a work in progress and I will still be focusing on my Harry/Star Wars story, so updates will be spotty for this one.**

On the lower levels of Coruscant, the Capital of the Galactic Republic, a young Zabrak was digging around in the trash. He wore thread-bare clothes that had many patches and even more holes in them and dirt and grime covered his face as he scavenged. With a triumphant shout he pulled back holding a mostly intact power convertor.

"What do you have there, Ryn?" asked another Zabrak, who looked a few years older, as he came over from another pile of trash and debris. Like the younger Zabrak he was dressed very poorly, his clothes barely holding together. However, a small well taken care of holdout blaster could be seen in the small of his back under his shirt.

Looking at the two of them together, it was easy to see that they were related. The younger one, Rynoth, had blue eyes and a lightly tanned skin. The older one, however, while he had a similar face, he had developed red skin instead of the tanned skin his brothers had. His eyes were also a vibrant green as well.

"It's a power convertor! Even with it damaged we should be able to get enough credits for some food with this," Rynoth said as he turned to his brother. However, he frowned when he looked around. "Where's Xavus?"

The two brothers looked around for a few seconds before they heard a weak groan coming from a corner. They hurried over and found a third Zabrak curled up into a fetal position, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Xavus!" Rynoth shouted as he dropped the power convertor and rushed over to his brother. As they got closer, they could see sweat dripping from his face, his worn clothes soaked with sweat as well.

As they approached, Xavus looked up, his eyes dull and unfocused. "Rynoth…Khal'ek…I don't feel so good." With that, he passed out, his body going limp.

Khal'ek dropped to a knee and rolled his brother onto his back, putting his hand to Xavus' forehead and inhaling sharply at how hot his skin was. He turned sharply to Rynoth, who was standing nearby shifting anxiously.

"Rynoth! He needs a doctor. Run back to the shelter and try to find one!" Khal'ek told him. The shelter was a loose collection of down on their luck beings, and occasionally a doctor would come down from the surface to give free care to the sick.

"Is he going to be alright?" Rynoth asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

"He will if we can get help, now run!" Khal'ek nearly shouted.

Rynoth nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes and ran towards some tunnels at a full sprint.

Khal'ek looked back at his brother, worry clear in his eyes as he wiped Xavus' forehead with a cloth. "Hang on, Xavus. Just hang on."

* * *

Rynoth darted through the tunnels and paths through the debris of the lower levels, narrowly dodging around hazards and avoiding the large vermin that infested the area. As he passed by one of the few elevators that led to the surface, one of the even fewer that actually worked, he got a feeling that he should use it to go to the surface instead of back to the shelter.

He skidded to a stop as he looked hesitantly back at the elevator and then to the tunnel that would lead him to the shelter. After a few seconds of hesitation, Rynoth decided to trust his feeling and darted for the elevator, pushing a button at random. The wait for the elevator to go up a few levels and open back up seemed to last forever, but in reality was only a few minutes. As the doors opened, Rynoth took off again, looking around for anyone that looked like a doctor.

"Help, someone please help me!" Rynoth shouted as he ran. He eventually ran into someone, nearly falling to the ground before being steadied by a strong grip.

"Easy there, young one. What has you in such a hurry?" the person who Rynoth ran into asked with a chuckle.

Rynoth looked up at the man and his jaw dropped in shock. Standing in front of him was a Jedi, his lightsaber easily seen clipped to the belt of his Jedi garments. The Jedi had green skin and several facial tattoos, his medium length black hair falling around his face in a casual style.

Shaking himself out of his daze at meeting a Jedi, Rynoth gave him a pleading look. "Please, you have to help me! My brother is sick…he might be dying," Rynoth said with a sniffle.

The Jedi looked at the young Zabrak for any signs of deception, but when he saw none, he gave him a small smile. "Take me to your brother, young one. I shall see what I can do for him."

Rynoth smiled brightly as he grabbed the sleeve of the Jedi and started pulling him back towards the elevator.

* * *

Khal'ek had spent his time waiting for Rynoth to return clearing away as much of the debris surrounding Xavus as possible. He had found some interesting items that would sell for good credits and he placed them in a pile nearby. But he mostly spent his time worrying about his brother. He was the oldest of the three, he was supposed to protect them against anything, but how do you protect someone against something you couldn't see?

"Over here! He's over here," Khal'ek heard Rynoth say, and he sighed with relief. He was shocked to see his brother dragging a Jedi along, but he quickly composed himself. He subtly shifted his blaster so that it would be easier to pull should anything happen. Jedi were supposed to be good guys that helped the weak, but you could never be too careful, especially when you grow up in the slums.

When the Jedi gave him a calm smile, he knew that the Jedi understood what he had done. Gulping slightly, Khal'ek stepped forward. "Thank you for coming, Master Jedi. Our brother is sick and he's been unconscious for almost half an hour now. I can't wake him up…" Khal'ek trailed off as his young age showed in his uncertainty.

"Please, you can call me Jerick. How long has he been showing symptoms?" Jerick asked as he knelt next to the sick boy. A chill went down his spine as he realized that none of the boys were older than thirteen standard years of age, yet they appeared to be all alone. Putting his fingers to Xavus' neck, he felt the boy's pulse, which was dangerously weak, his breathing erratic.

"He's been feeling off lately, but he told me he was feeling better," Khal'ek replied slightly defensive. He hadn't wanted Xavus to come with them as he hadn't thought he was better, but Xavus had convinced him.

"It's okay, I'm sure you trusted him. It's not your fault," Jerick said soothingly. He closed his eyes and drew on the Force, using it to see what could not been seen with the eyes. After a few minutes, Jerick opened his eyes to see two very worried boys watching him.

"Your brother is very sick," Jerick told them, causing Khal'ek to roll his eyes.

"We know that. Can you help him?" Khal'ek asked impatiently.

Jerick sighed as he brushed Xavus' hair away from his face. "Not here. He's too sick for me to heal through the Force alone. He needs medication and time in a kolto tank."

Khal'ek nearly collapsed when he heard that. "We can't afford food, let alone medication." Tears started to fall from his eyes as he realized that his brother was most likely going to die.

Jerick looked up at the heartbroken brothers and gave them a comforting look. He hadn't just been scanning Xavus, but he had looked at the other two boys as well, which had revealed something interesting.

"The Jedi have plenty of medication, as well as kolto. We can treat him and it won't cost you anything," he told them, causing Rynoth to smile brightly. However, Khal'ek narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What's the catch? No one does anything for free," Khal'el said accusingly.

"Khal! He's a Jedi. They help people," Rynoth hissed as he elbowed his brother.

"No, your brother is correct. There is something that I want," Jerick told them, hold his hand out to stop them from interrupting him. "I sense the Force in the three of you, and I want you to come with me to the Temple to be tested. Your brother will still be healed, but this will give you the chance to do something with your lives."

Khal'ek opened his mouth to ask more questions, but was interrupted by Rynoth. "We accept!" the younger Zabrak said, glaring at his older brother.

Jerick smiled at the two brothers as he scooped up the unconscious Zabrak. "Come with me, young ones. I can have someone come back and pick up your belongings later."

Khal'el and Rynoth shared a look, before Khal'ek spoke up. "We…we don't have anything of value. We don't even have a place to stay, just an old rusted out cooling unit where we sleep."

Jerick frowned at the level of poverty on the lower levels of the Capital. With all the wealth of the upper level, one would think someone would do something to help the unfortunate people on the lower levels. "What about your parents?"

"Dead," Khal'ek replied quickly. It was a touchy subject for him.

Jerick frowned, but nodded in acceptance as he started walking back to the elevators. The Force had brought him to these boys for a reason, though he wasn't sure what that reason was yet.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but while the Force is strong within the youngest one, the older ones are simply not strong enough in the Force for training. There is nothing we can do for them," Ven Zallow told Jerick softly as they stood just outside the room where the three brothers were staying at the Temple. Xavus had made a full recovery, though he still had lingering weakness that would require therapy to fix.

"Please, there must be something we can do. I can't bear the thought of them returning to where they were before," Jerick pleaded with the Council member.

Ven scratched his chin as he looked through the open door at the three brothers as they sat on a sofa reading from a single datapad. It was a heart warming sight, and not even a Jedi was immune to it.

"The older ones could stay on and help maintain the Library. It would allow them to stay in the Temple and with their brother, though they can't interfere with his training," Ven said after a few minutes. He turned a steely gaze at the Mirialan Jedi. "I hope that I will not come to regret this, Jerick."

Jerick smiled at Ven. "You won't, Master Zallow. If you would allow me to take young Rynoth as my Padawan, it would allow me to oversee the other two as well."

Ven looked at Jerick in surprise. Jerick had never taken a Padawan before, always claiming that he felt that he wasn't ready. "You are sure about this?"

"I am."

Ven nodded and put his hand on Jerick's shoulder, the Mirialan returning the gesture. "I wish you luck, my friend. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master Zallow."

* * *

For the next several years, Khal'ek and Xavus helped out around the Temple, helping the Jedi in charge of the library keep it maintained as well as doing other small jobs that couldn't be done by droids while their younger. But by the time Khal'ek was seventeen standard years, he had made up his mind to leave.

"But Khal, you can't leave. Where will you go?" Xavus asked as Khal'ek packed a small bag of the few possessions he had collected during his years at the Temple. He sloppily tossed some clothes into his bag, not bothering to fold them.

"There's a war going on, Xavus. The Republic Army isn't asking too many questions to those enlisting. I've already been accepted and I start basic training in two days." Khal'ek took a holopicture that had been taken shortly after Rynoth had been accepted as a Padawan, with the three of them smiling and hugging each other, and put it into his bag as well.

"But you aren't old enough," Xavus protested, grasping at straws. "You'll just get yourself killed!"

"Xavus, give me a little credit here. I know what I'm doing. Besides, what else am I going to do? Stay here and be a glorified janitor for the rest of my life?" Khal'ek asked with a scoff. "I don't think so."

Khal'ek sighed as he heard a sniffle from his brother. He pulled the slightly resisting Xavus into a hug. "No matter where life takes me, I'll always be your brother, and I'll always be there for you. But I need to get out of here, Xav. I'll keep in touch."

With that, Khal'ek stepped away, grabbed his bag, and walked out of the room, forcing himself to not look back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Not much support for this story, but like I said, it's just something I've been writing for my guild, so those who read it here get to enjoy it too. I don't own anything except for Khal'ek, Xavus, and Rynoth. Anything else either belongs to George Lucas or my guildmates.**

Khal'ek checked his armor and blaster rifle as the transport he was riding in lumbered forward towards the front lines of combat. He was on some backwater planet that was an important staging ground for the fight against the Empire, which is why they took advantage of a period of low security to invade. The Empire had bombed the Republic's communication towers, though they had managed to get off a distress signal before the towers went down. Following that, they took control of the spaceport and the anti-aircraft emplacements. By the end of the week, the Empire had taken control of the planet.

Now, the regiment that he was a part of had been sent in to take it back. Khal'ek had been in the army for a year now and though he had excelled at combat, he was quickly chafing at all the rules and being subject to the idiocy of his commanders and the morons in the Senate. He had seen good men die because of one man's pride and stupidity. Supplies had been diverted from the front line, where they were desperately needed, to be given to officers and other officials far away from battle. One officer had cut Khal'ek's unit's rations just so he could eat well and bring in fine wines and other luxuries.

Needless to say, Khal'ek was quickly getting disillusioned with the whole process. While the Republic soldiers fought to protect their homes, the officers and other leaders seemed to just want to take as much as they could for themselves, having good soldiers die for pointless side objectives and stupid decisions.

"Ok men, we need this spaceport back yesterday! Get in there and show those Imps why they should have left this planet alone! For the Republic!" shouted the Lieutenant commanding their regiment. Khal'ek gave a half-hearted shout which was drowned out by the roar of his fellow soldiers.

Pulling on his helmet, Khal'ek checked his sidearm and readied his rifle. As the ramp to the transport lowered, Khal'ek charged out into a hail of blaster fire, firing back at the other soldiers.

* * *

"You did good out there, kid," Jayson Ordo said to Khal'ek as they stood in the recaptured spaceport waiting on a supply ship.

"Not good enough. Too many died on our side," Khal'ek replied with a frown.

"Hey, don't think like that. You did your best and you fought a good fight. Your ancestors would be proud."

Jayson was an oddity to Khal'ek. He had been born a Mandalorian, but chose to break away from them and joined the Republic Army. Rumor had it that he had been offered several command positions and promotions, but he had turned them down so that he could stay in the fight. The older man had chosen to take the young Zabrak under his wing, though for what reason Khal'ek couldn't begin to understand.

It was Jayson that had taken Khal'ek to Iridonia during some down time and introduced him to his culture and heritage. Khal'ek had gotten his first facial tattoos during that trip, as well as a couple other tattoos, one of them signifying the bond between Jayson and him. The older human man had become the father that Khal'ek had never had.

"Jayson, I don't know if I can keep doing this. I'm not afraid or anything," Khal'ek said with a nervous glance at the man. "It's just…I'm starting to hate the Republic. It's so corrupt and inefficient. We never would have lost this planet at all had they given us the budget and supplies to maintain the sensor network and defenses."

"Instead, that money was used for some lavish Officer's Ball on Coruscant," Jayson said, nodding in agreement. "I don't disagree with you kid, but keep in mind that the Empire doesn't like people like you. Under their thumb, you'd be nothing more than a slave."

"There has to other options. I can't keep living like this, Jay," Khal'ek told him weakly, his depression starting to show.

Jayson gave him a long hard look, rubbing his jaw in thought, before looking out to where he could see the supply shuttle starting to make its approach. As the shuttle got closer, he made a decision. He turned back to Khal'ek, who was polishing his armor and trying to fix a few holes made by blaster fire that got too close.

"_I'll miss the kid. He's got the devil's luck and he's damn good with a blaster,_" Jayson thought with a mental smile.

"Kid, when we are finished unloading the shuttle, hitch a ride back and make your way back to Iridonia. I have a few friends still there and they'll help you out. If you want other options, they'll help you find them," Jayson told Khal'ek, keeping his voice low just in case.

Khal'ek snapped his head around to look at Jayson in shock. "What?"

"If you don't give your all in battle, you'll just end up dead. And I'd hate for that to happen to you."

Khal'ek could believe what he was hearing. Part of him hated the thought of doing a runner, viewing it as quitting and giving up. But Jayson was right. He couldn't fight at his best, and that would just end with him getting killed.

"But what about you? Won't you get in trouble?" Khal'ek asked.

Jayson just laughed and clapped Khal'ek on the shoulder. "Don't worry about me, kid. I'll just say that I sent you on patrol and you got killed by remnant Imperials that got the drop on you. Naturally, we won't be able to find your body, so they'll have to take my word about it. Just do me a favor and keep low for a couple years."

Khal'ek was at a loss for words, so he simply nodded before looking away so that Jayson wouldn't see the tears in his eyes. When the shuttle landed, Khal'ek helped unload the supplies, seeing Jayson hand the pilot some credits from the corner of his eye made what he was about to do very real. When they were finished with the supplies, Jayson pulled Khal'ek to the side as the other soldiers went to the cantina to get some drinks.

"Listen kid, the pilot has agreed to take you to Nar Shadda, as it's on his way. When you're there, find a way to Iridonia. I'll contact my friends, so they'll be expecting you and should meet you at the spaceport, just be sure to give them a call when you're close," Jayson said as he handed Khal'ek a datapad. "That has the holofrequencies of several allies of mine, including the one I'm sending you to."

Khal'ek nodded as he tucked the datapad into a pouch on his utility belt. He started to take his helmet off, but Jayson stopped him.

"Keep your armor on, kid. It'll help you keep a low profile as people won't be able to recognize you," Jayson told him as they walked over to the shuttle. "You were a good soldier, but fortunately for you, you haven't been around long enough to be well known. Give yourself a few years, train, figure out what you want to do, and then when everyone's forgotten about you, you can rejoin the rest of the Galaxy."

Khal'ek nodded before looking at the shuttle. Once he got on it, there would be no turning back. Taking a step towards it, Khal'ek stopped as he thought of something. "Jay, if you can, let my brothers know that I'm alright. When they get word of my 'death', it'll crush them."

"You have my word, kid."

Khal'ek held out his arm and Jayson clasped it in a warrior's handshake, gripping his forearm in respect. "Good hunting, Khal'ek Vorr."

Khal'ek nodded before grabbing his rifle and climbing into the shuttle, the boarding ramp closing behind him.


End file.
